Aquareite is an old town — it started out as just a small settlement. Over a long time people gathered there, the settlement grew, and eventually it became the town it is now.
In the old days flood-control technology was poor, and they were often troubled by floods and the like. When you build a town along a river, that worry is always with you.
At one point, a fortune-teller visited the town. He supposedly advised that if they offered a sacrifice to the water deity that lives in the river, they could stop the damage from floods and such.
Although people were half in doubt, the damage had grown to the point they couldn’t ignore his words. The townsfolk of that time offered a sacrifice. Then, as if everything before had been a lie, the turbulent river calmed.
Since then, sacrifices were given on a regular basis.
“…Of course, in this day and age we can’t be offering sacrifices. At some point — I don’t know when exactly — instead of sacrifices they began holding a festival to venerate the water deity.”
Hemming’s story was interesting.
Partly because it might let us learn what’s happening in Aquareite now, but also simply because it’s an interesting tale. I enjoy stories that reveal the past.
“However, a festival alone won’t satisfy the water deity. Its anger accumulates… and now it has attacked us.”
“Honestly… old man Hemming brings that up at every opportunity. Who would believe such a fairy tale?”
“It’s not a fairy tale! It’s a matter of strict fact!”
“All right, all right — go home before the wind and rain get any worse. Prepare to evacuate.”
“My, my, youngsters these days…”
Muttering complaints, Hemming left the inn. He walked home against the strong wind and rain. He was a hardy man.
“Um… when you say ‘evacuate’?”
“We’ll evacuate from this town.”
“Huh?”
“As you can see, this town is finished. In a few days the river will overflow completely and swallow it. Anyone who can evacuate should do so before that happens.”
“But earlier the landlady said—”
“I’m staying here. I have nowhere to go… and this is my hometown, after all.”
She smiled with a very lonely expression.
I didn’t want to see that kind of face…
“Well, that’s how it is. You two should evacuate soon too. If you want to stay, you can keep the room though.”
The landlady waved and disappeared inside. She was probably preparing dinner.
“Man… we picked a really bad time to come, didn’t we.”
“Yeah… I never imagined an entire town could be wiped out like this.”
It was completely unexpected.
“Can’t the government do something?”
“Probably not. If it were an invasion by another country they’d send troops… but when the enemy is a natural disaster, there’s nothing they can do. It’s frustrating, but at times like this people are powerless.”
"…"
People are powerless.
You can’t stand up to nature.
That’s true. There’s nothing wrong with what Sofia said.
It wasn’t wrong, but…
“Is it really a natural disaster?”
“Huh?”
Listening to Hemming’s story made me suddenly suspicious.
“It’s impossible for rain to fall for two weeks straight under normal circumstances.”
“Do you mean… the water deity Hemming talked about is involved?”
“I think it’s possible.”
If it’s preserved as a tradition, there’s a chance the deity really existed in the past. Dismissing it as a mere fairy tale felt a little rash.
“But even if the water deity really existed… we can’t offer a sacrifice.”
“Yeah, there’s no way we’d do that.”
Killing someone to save the town — I don’t want that.
In a way, that’s the same as the Dawn Alliance. Is there any value in a future won by accepting sacrifices?
If you accept sacrifices, someday the restraints will slip. You might end up accepting even greater sacrifices. If that happens, humanity is finished.
If you can’t care for someone, you can’t care for anyone.
“Anyway… why did the storm start in the first place?”
“Huh? Well…”
“Placing natural disasters under the guise of divine anger and offering sacrifices is pretty common in old tales… but in this case it feels too convenient.”
If it truly were a natural disaster, offering sacrifices wouldn’t change anything. There’s no way the storm would stop immediately.
“But if you think of the storm, then and now, as being deliberately caused, it makes sense.”
“However, to be able to do such a thing… no way.”
“Yeah. I think that very water deity is the culprit.”
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